I found this Finnish jewellery company Chao and Eero, who make these amazing anticlastic silver pieces. Since I did the synclastic and anticlastic workshop in Birmingham I’m obsessed with all things clastic! But even if you’re not as interested in the making process you’ll have to agree the finished products are pretty impressive.

Nuppu Silver Pendant

Each range of jewellery is named after the element which inspired it. Nuppu (pictured above) is the Finnish word for sprout.

Since it’s so dark and wintery out there today I went in search of some bright and colourful silverware. Thankfully there is no shortage of brilliant silversmiths who use colour in their work.

Sarah Stevenson, Dessert Bowls

The first silversmith I’ve chosen to lift the winter blues is Sarah Stevenson. Her work combines the metal with a range bright colours that sit perfectly together. The dessert bowls above are a perfect example of this, the flowing reflective silver is beautifully contrasted by a bubble of colour. She makes these pieces in silver plate but also offers the option of having them made in sterling silver. So they can suit any price range.

Sarah Stevenson, Shots

Victoria Delany, Table setting

The second silversmith that isn’t afraid of a bit of colour is Victoria Delany. Her range of tableware combines the traditional with the contemporary. These candlesticks are a great example of this. They are quite traditional in their form yet the use of blocks of colour transform them into something new and exciting. The colours used range from vibrant red and yellow to the more subdued grey and wood blocks.

For those of you who don’t know this Sunday is the feast day of St. Andronicus, the patron saint of silversmiths. I did some reading on our patron saint but unfortunately I couldn’t get any information on his career as a silversmith. Here’s what I did find out…

Andronicus was born in Alexandria, Egypt and trained as a silversmith. He married Athanasia and went on to have two children who later died in a local plague. Following their childrens’ death Athanasia and Andronicus returned to Egypt where they became hermits in the desert. Here they lived separately for twelve years. Athanasia had disguised herself as a man when she became a hermit and her true identity was not discovered until her death. The story goes that Andronicus travelled to Jerusalem to join a monastery and met a man on his journey. On arriving in Jerusalem the two men joined the monastery where they lived until their death. It was not until the man died that Andronicus discovered it had actually been his wife in disguise. I’m not sure how much of that I believe but if it is true it says alot about mens observational skills!

About

Jewellery Designer based in Cork, Ireland. Since finishing my Masters in design over ten years ago, I have worked as a Silver & Goldsmith creating unique jewellery, Wedding & Engagement Rings and Sculptural commissions. Read more about what I do here.